Piano construction.



No. 758,639. PATBNTED MAY 3, 1904.

. R. W. GERTZ. PIANO CONSTRUCTION.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 21, 1903.

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PIANO CONSTRUCTION.

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iatented. May 3, 1904.

UNITED STAT S PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD W. GERTZ, OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

PIANO CONSTRUCTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 7 58,639, dated May 3, 1904.

Application filed November 21,1908. Serial No.l82,050. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD W. GERTZ, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cambridge, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Piano Construction, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to piano construction, and has for its main object to provide a novel construction of piano in which the lid or cover can be raised from either side;

Another object of the invention is to improve in some respects the piano illustrated and described in patent No. 658,985, issued to Emil A. Crertz and myself.

Grand pianos are now universally made with the lid hinged to one side thereof, so that it can be only opened in one direction. It is frequently very diflicult to so place an ordinary grand piano in a room as to have the piano face in the desired direction and at the same time get the best results when the pianolid is raised, owing to the fact that the lid can be raised from one side of the piano only.

. To avoid this difiiculty, I have provided a piano in which the lid can be raised from either side, as desired, thus making the lid practically a reversible one.

I have herein illustrated my invention as applied to a piano which is symmetrical relative to its longitudinal median line-such, for

instance,as illustrated in the above-mentioned patent -though it would be within my invention to apply the reversible-lid arrangement, hereinafter described and claimed, to other pianos having other shapes.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a piano embodying my invention, the sounding-board and string-frames being omitted for the sake of clearness of illustration.- Fig. 2 is a section through the piano-case on substantially the 'line w m, Fig. 1, showing the piano-lid raised from one side. Fig. 3 is a similar View showing the piano-lid raised from the other side, and Fig. 4: is a detail of construction hereinafter described.

In order to avoid confusion in the drawings, I have omitted therefrom all those parts of the piano except what relate directly to the invention herein claimed.

The reversibility of the piano-lid is herein obtained by providing an intermediate frame or member which is hinged at one of its edges to the piano-case and has hinged to its oppositeedge the piano-lid, so that when the lid is folded over onto the frame and the frame and lid swung about the hinges of the frame the lid is opened from one side, while when the lid is swung about its own hinges it will be opened from the other side.

C designates the outer rim or casing of the piano, and A designates the inner rim or that to which the sounding-board (not shown) is attached.

In the form of the piano illustrated the outer and inner rims are made symmetrical with reference to the longitudinal central line of the piano, and throughout the greater portion of their extent they are elliptical in their shape, the longer axis of the ellipse coinciding with the longitudinal central line of the piano, all as more fully described in said patent.

Hinged to one side of the casing C is a frame 3, which is preferably symmetrical in shape and of a size to fit within said casing. Said frame is hinged at one side to one side of the piano-casing, as at 4:. The other or opposite edge 6 of the frame 3 has hinged thereto one edge of the piano-lid 5, as at 7. The frame 3 is preferably made of a size to just set within the piano-casing, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, so that when the piano-lid 5 is closed it will rest upon the top of the casing. With this construction the lid 5 can be raised from either side by. either swinging the lid about its hinges 7, the frame 3 remaining stationary, as shown in Fig. 2, or by lifting the frame and lid together about the hinges 4, as shown in Fig. 3.

8 designates a suitable rest or support which will be hinged to the frame 3' and which serves to hold the lid 5 raised when it is opened from the left-hand side.

9 designates another strut or support, which is hinged to the piano casing or frame in some suitable way and which serves to hold both the lid and frame raised when the lid is opened from the right.

Since the piano is symmetrical in shape and since the lid can be opened from either side, the piano can be used in any room and very easily positioned, so as to obtain the best effeets.

The piano has no back or front side, and therefore either side can be placed against the wall.

While I have shown the reversible-lid feature in connection with a piano having a symmetrical shape, yet I do not Wish to be limited to this particular shape of piano, as my invention may be applied to other forms of piano than that illustrated.

Various changes in the details of construction may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A piano having connected thereto a lid constructed to open from either side.

2. In a piano, a frame hinged at one edge to one side of the piano-casing, and a pianolid hinged to the other edge of the frame.

3. In a piano, a frame adapted to set Within the top of the piano-casing and hinged at one edge to said casing, and a piano-lid hinged to the other edge of the f 'ame, whereby by raising the frame and lid together about the hinge of the frame the lid may be opened from one side of the piano, and by raising said lid about its own hinge it may be raised from the other side of the piano.

4. A piano having a casing which is symmetrical relative to its longitudinal central line, a lid for the piano, and a connection between said lid and easing which permits either side of the lid to he raised.

5. In a piano, a casing which is symmetrical relative to its longitudinal central line, a frame hinged at one edge to one side of the pianocasing and a piano-lid hinged to the other edge of the frame.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

v RICHD. IV. GERJTZ. Witnesses:

LOUIS (J. SMITH, Geo. H. MAXWELL. 

